The United Blood Services office in Lubbock issued a written statement Thursday describing a critical appeal for blood donations. The appeal said there was a critical shortage nationwide.

UBS in Lubbock said, “This summer has been especially difficult with the extreme tragedies that have occurred in Orlando, Minnesota and Dallas.” 

The statement from UBS said:

United Blood Services has joined AABB, America’s Blood Centers and the American Red Cross in issuing a critical appeal for blood and platelet donors across the country.  With the nation’s blood supply facing significantly low inventory levels, the blood community encourages individuals throughout the U.S. to schedule an appointment to donate today.

“Maintaining a safe and adequate blood supply is critical to the nation’s public health and a priority for the medical community.” said Miriam A. Markowitz, CEO of AABB.  “Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.

Summer is always a challenging time for blood centers to ensure an adequate blood supply do to donors taking vacations and schools being out of session.  In the West Texas area about 38% of the blood collected comes from high school and college blood drives.   Despite the season, the need for blood remains constant and patients continue to depend on the generosity of blood donors to meet that need.

This summer has been especially difficult with the extreme tragedies that have occurred in Orlando, Minnesota and Dallas.  Unfortunately, tragedies like this are totally unpredictable and have an impact on the blood supply in the country. Accidents occur more frequently over the summer months adding even more blood usage.

It’s the blood that has already been collected, screened and tested that is used during an emergency and our hospitals need to be prepared for immediate use of blood.  After a person donates, it takes anywhere from 24 – 48 hours before the blood can actually be delivered to and used for transfusion in a hospital due to the processing and testing procedures.

In our immediate area, the extreme heat has had an effect on our mobile drives and the amount of donors coming to our centers.  The Zika virus restriction has also been a major factor, precluding potential donors from donating for 28 days if they’ve traveled to these regions.  In our area this is huge due to the thousands of people who travel back and forth to Juarez every day.

We are hoping for relief on the Zika virus restrictions with volunteer research testing becoming available very soon. 

We ask that you be pro-active and don’t wait for a tragedy, accidents or other trauma to occur.  DONATE TODAY!


United Blood Services Donation Locations
Call 1-877-UBS-HERO (1-877-827-4376) or Visit www.BloodHero.com (enter your zip code and city)
Blood Drives: Daily Locations throughout West Texas
Lubbock Donor Center: 2523 48th St, Lubbock, TX  79413
Midland Donor Center: 4706 N Midkiff Rd. Ste 20. Midland, TX  79705
San Angelo Donor Center: 2020 W. Beauregard Ave., San Angelo, TX  76901